DT Talk Writers Elite draft 2015

Tonight a group of our writers got together for our annual draft league. We used AFL Fantasy Elite for this with the structure of 3 defenders, 4 midfielders, 1 ruck and 3 forwards with 4 on the bench. We chose this structure mainly because Calvin’s attention span isn’t very long (it was over in about 70 minutes) and hopefully to promote plenty of use of free agency and in turn, some trades between coaches.

The random draft order saw me, the league commissioner, getting the #1 pick… to which Calvin had to say I rigged it. Wanker.

Have a look at the table below to see how the draft night panned out. With the uncertainty about the Essendon players, Calvin grabbed Michael Hibberd with his third pick (32). Heppell at 37 and Watson at 51 will prove to be bargains if they either get off or miss less than a month of footy.

PICK	TEAM	FIRST NAME	SURNAME	CLUB	POSITION
1	Warne Dawgs	Tom	Rockliff	BL	MID
2	Rockstars	Gary	Ablett	GC	MID
3	destROY	Dane	Swan	COLL	FWD
4	Dunny's Destroyers	Scott	Pendlebury	COLL	MID
5	FeathertopDTT	Michael	Barlow	FRE	MID
6	MJLICIOUS	Dustin	Martin	RICH	FWD
7	Dove Love	Toby	Greene	GWS	MID
8	Calvinator	Jimmy	Bartel	GEE	FWD
9	Scissor Me Timbers	Robbie	Gray	PA	FWD
10	The Running Man	Steele	Sidebottom	COLL	MID
11	Ballers XVIII	Dayne	Beams	BL	MID
12	Griffs Fury	Josh P.	Kennedy	SYD	MID
13	Griffs Fury	Brett	Deledio	RICH	FWD
14	Ballers XVIII	Kade	Simpson	CARL	DEF
15	The Running Man	Brendon	Goddard	ESS	FWD
16	Scissor Me Timbers	Brent	Harvey	NM	FWD
17	Calvinator	Lance	Franklin	SYD	FWD
18	Dove Love	Jarryd	Roughead	HAW	FWD
19	MJLICIOUS	Steve	Johnson	GEE	MID
20	FeathertopDTT	Nick	Malceski	GC	DEF
21	Dunny's Destroyers	Luke	Hodge	HAW	DEF
22	destROY	Jordan	Lewis	HAW	MID
23	Rockstars	Jack	Newnes	STK	DEF
24	Warne Dawgs	Sam	Jacobs	ADE	RUC
25	Warne Dawgs	Matt	Priddis	WC	MID
26	Rockstars	Luke	Parker	SYD	MID
27	destROY	Devon	Smith	GWS	FWD
28	Dunny's Destroyers	Nick	Riewoldt	STK	FWD
29	FeathertopDTT	Joel	Selwood	GEE	MID
30	MJLICIOUS	Adam	Treloar	GWS	MID
31	Dove Love	Nat	Fyfe	FRE	MID
32	Calvinator	Michael	Hibberd	ESS	DEF
33	Scissor Me Timbers	Brodie	Smith	ADE	DEF
34	The Running Man	James	Kelly	GEE	MID
35	Ballers XVIII	Stefan	Martin	BL	RUC
36	Griffs Fury	Shane	Mumford	GWS	RUC
37	Griffs Fury	Dyson	Heppell	ESS	MID
38	Ballers XVIII	Andrew	Mackie	GEE	DEF
39	The Running Man	Callan	Ward	GWS	MID
40	Scissor Me Timbers	Rory	Sloane	ADE	MID
41	Calvinator	Jack	Redden	BL	MID
42	Dove Love	Dayne	Zorko	BL	FWD
43	MJLICIOUS	Jack	Ziebell	NM	FWD
44	FeathertopDTT	Mark	LeCras	WC	FWD
45	Dunny's Destroyers	Jack	Macrae	WB	MID
46	destROY	Lachie	Neale	FRE	MID
47	Rockstars	Nic	Naitanui	WC	RUC
48	Warne Dawgs	Shaun	Burgoyne	HAW	DEF
49	Warne Dawgs	Nathan	Jones	MEL	MID
50	Rockstars	Harley	Bennell	GC	FWD
51	destROY	Jobe	Watson	ESS	MID
52	Dunny's Destroyers	Todd	Goldstein	NM	RUC
53	FeathertopDTT	Heath	Shaw	GWS	DEF
54	MJLICIOUS	Bryce	Gibbs	CARL	MID
55	Dove Love	Trent	Cotchin	RICH	MID
56	Calvinator	Dion	Prestia	GC	MID
57	Scissor Me Timbers	Levi	Greenwood	COLL	MID
58	The Running Man	Patrick	Ryder	PA	RUC
59	Ballers XVIII	Shaun	Higgins	NM	DEF
60	Griffs Fury	Matthew	Boyd	WB	MID
61	Griffs Fury	Justin	Westhoff	PA	FWD
62	Ballers XVIII	Luke	Dahlhaus	WB	FWD
63	The Running Man	brandon	Ellis	RICH	MID
64	Scissor Me Timbers	Travis	Boak	PA	MID
65	Calvinator	David	Mundy	FRE	MID
66	Dove Love	Jamie	Elliott	COLL	FWD
67	MJLICIOUS	Brad	Crouch	ADE	MID
68	FeathertopDTT	Ivan	Maric	RICH	RUC
69	Dunny's Destroyers	Stephen	Motlop	GEE	FWD
70	destROY	Matthew	Lobbe	PA	RUC
71	Rockstars	Corey	Enright	GEE	DEF
72	Warne Dawgs	Tom	Mitchell	SYD	FWD
73	Warne Dawgs	Craig	Bird	SYD	FWD
74	Rockstars	Taylor	Adams	COLL	FWD
75	destROY	Matthew	Jaensch	ADE	DEF
76	Dunny's Destroyers	Andrew	Walker	CARL	DEF
77	FeathertopDTT	Kieren	Jack	SYD	MID
78	MJLICIOUS	Heritier	Lumumba	MEL	DEF
79	Dove Love	Shannon	Hurn	WC	DEF
80	Calvinator	Aaron	Sandilands	FRE	RUC
81	Scissor Me Timbers	Marcus	Bontempelli	WB	FWD
82	The Running Man	Patrick	Dangerfield	ADE	MID
83	Ballers XVIII	Allen	Christensen	BL	FWD
84	Griffs Fury	Grant	Birchall	HAW	DEF
85	Griffs Fury	Ryan	Harwood	BL	DEF
86	Ballers XVIII	Chad	Wingard	PA	FWD
87	The Running Man	Joshua	Kelly	GWS	FWD
88	Scissor Me Timbers	Paul	Duffield	FRE	DEF
89	Calvinator	Sam	Fisher	STK	DEF
90	Dove Love	Jed	Adcock	BL	DEF
91	MJLICIOUS	Dale	Thomas	CARL	FWD
92	FeathertopDTT	Paul	Chapman	ESS	FWD
93	Dunny's Destroyers	Brad	Ebert	PA	MID
94	destROY	Jack	Gunston	HAW	FWD
95	Rockstars	Liam	Shiels	HAW	MID
96	Warne Dawgs	Bachar	Houli	RICH	DEF
97	Warne Dawgs	Adam	Cooney	ESS	FWD
98	Rockstars	Matt	Suckling	HAW	DEF
99	destROY	Sam	Mitchell	HAW	MID
100	Dunny's Destroyers	Ryan	Griffen	GWS	MID
101	FeathertopDTT	Jeremy	Howe	MEL	DEF
102	MJLICIOUS	Josh	Gibson	HAW	DEF
103	Dove Love	Will	Minson	WB	RUC
104	Calvinator	Dan	Hanneberry	SYD	MID
105	Scissor Me Timbers	Brad	Sheppard	WC	DEF
106	The Running Man	Sam	Docherty	CARL	DEF
107	Ballers XVIII	Andrew	Swallow	NM	MID
108	Griffs Fury	Ben	McGlynn	SYD	MID
109	Griffs Fury	Scott	Lycett	GWS	FWD
110	Ballers XVIII	Sam	Gibson	NM	MID
111	The Running Man	Will	Hoskin-Elliott	GWS	MID
112	Scissor Me Timbers	Jack	Steven	STK	MID
113	Calvinator	Kade	Kolodjashnij	GC	DEF
114	Dove Love	Ollie	Wines	PA	MID
115	MJLICIOUS	Ben	McEvoy	HAW	RUC
116	FeathertopDTT	Marc	Murphy	CARL	MID
117	Dunny's Destroyers	Josh J.	Kennedy	WC	FWD
118	destROY	Harry	Taylor	GEE	DEF
119	Rockstars	Sharrod	Wellingham	WC	FWD
120	Warne Dawgs	Jarrad	McVeigh	SYD	MID
121	Warne Dawgs	Rohan	Bewick	BL	DEF
122	Rockstars	Tom	Bellchambers	ESS	Bench
123	destROY	Chris	Yarran	CARL	DEF
124	Dunny's Destroyers	Jarrod	Harbrow	GC	DEF
125	FeathertopDTT	Luke	Breust	HAW	FWD
126	MJLICIOUS	Dylan	Shiel	GWS	MID
127	Dove Love	Matthew	Broadbent	PA	DEF
128	Calvinator	Travis	Cloke	COLL	FWD
129	Scissor Me Timbers	Jarryn	Geary	STK	Bench
130	The Running Man	Nick	Vlastuin	RICH	DEF
131	Ballers XVIII	Dom	Tyson	MELB	MID
132	Griffs Fury	Scott	Selwood	WC	Bench
133	Griffs Fury	Brendan	Whitecross	HAW	DEF
134	Ballers XVIII	Taylor	Hunt	RICH	Bench
135	The Running Man	Mitch	Duncan	GEE	Bench
136	Scissor Me Timbers	Zac	Smith	GC	RUC
137	Calvinator	Kane	Cornes	PA	Bench
138	Dove Love	Adam	Tomlinson	GWS	Bench
139	MJLICIOUS	Trent	McKenzie	GC	Bench
140	FeathertopDTT	Mike	Pyke	SYD	Bench
141	Dunny's Destroyers	David	Swallow	GC	Bench
142	destROY	Jaeger	O'Meara	GC	Bench
143	Rockstars	Lachlan	Whitfield	GWS	Bench
144	Warne Dawgs	Brent	Stanton	ESS	Bench
145	Warne Dawgs	James	Frawley	HAW	Bench
146	Rockstars	Scott	Thompson	ADE	Bench
147	destROY	Ricky	Petterd	RICH	Bench
148	Dunny's Destroyers	Luke	Shuey	WC	Bench
149	FeathertopDTT	Matthew	Pavlich	FRE	Bench
150	MJLICIOUS	Nathan	Hrovat	WB	Bench
151	Dove Love	David	Zaharakis	ESS	Bench
152	Calvinator	Sam	Mayes	BL	Bench
153	Scissor Me Timbers	Jack	Crisp	COLL	Bench
154	The Running Man	Robert	Warnock	CARL	Bench
155	Ballers XVIII	Matthew	Leuenberger	BL	Bench
156	Griffs Fury	Tom	Libertore	WB	Bench
157	Griffs Fury	Curtley	Hampton	GWS	Bench
158	Ballers XVIII	Andrew	Gaff	WC	Bench
159	The Running Man	Josh	Thomas	COLL	Bench
160	Scissor Me Timbers	Leigh	Montagna	STK	Bench
161	Calvinator	Mitch	Robinson	BL	Bench
162	Dove Love	Jack	Riewoldt	RICH	Bench
163	MJLICIOUS	Robert	Murphy	WB	Bench
164	FeathertopDTT	Andrejs	Everitt	CARL	Bench
165	Dunny's Destroyers	Michael	Johnson	FRE	Bench
166	destROY	Shane	Savage	STK	Bench
167	Rockstars	Mitch	Clark	GEE	Bench
168	Warne Dawgs	Jarrad	Waite	NM	Bench
169	Warne Dawgs	Chris	Judd	CARL	Bench
170	Rockstars	Garrick	Ibbotson	FRE	Bench
171	destROY	Hamish	McIntosh	GEE	Bench
172	Dunny's Destroyers	Taylor	Walker	ADE	Bench
173	FeathertopDTT	Hamish	Hartlett	PA	Bench
174	MJLICIOUS	Jonathon	Celglar	HAW	Bench
175	Dove Love	Jason	Winderlich	ESS	Bench
176	Calvinator	Matthew	Kreuzer	CARL	Bench
177	Scissor Me Timbers	Anthony	Miles	RICH	Bench
178	The Running Man	Elliott	Yeo	WC	Bench
179	Ballers XVIII	Tom	Lynch	ADE	Bench
180	Griffs Fury	Kurt	Tippett	SYD	Bench

Below are the teams as drafted by the boys. There might be a bit of shuffling around and adding of free agents but this is how they stand after the draft tonight.

Round one score projections (via draft order):

• Warne Dawgs – 1,016
• Rockstars – 899
• destROY – 980
• Dunny’s Destroyers – 952
• FeathertopDTT – 995
• MJlicious – 916
• Dove Love – 931
• Calvinator – 967
• Scissor Me Tinders – 945
• The Running Man – 907
• Ballers – 986
• Griffs Fury – 1,000

Warne Dawgs – Warnie

Pick 1 got me Rocky. I think he’s going to be the best this year and it was basically a no-brainer for me… I was hoping Roy would grab Dustin Martin with his first selection so I could strike a deal with him, but it might take a bit for me to now part with Rocky. Maybe Rocky for Swan and a half decent defender? That is to fix my friggen mistake of getting Rohan Bewick. WTF?! Yep… that was due to having the two picks back to back and trying to click through between windows. I was too organised. I should have been calm! Oh well, at least it was late in the draft! I’m pretty happy with my squad. I love my MIDs and my boy Jacobs in the RUC. McVeigh made his way in the midfield due to me thinking he will gain DPP at round 6 and I can swing him back. Here’s hoping!

Rockstars – Anthony

With the 2nd pick in hand and knowing Warnie had Rocky locked the second he had pick 1 I found myself in an odd position. Do I pick up GAJ or a high scoring FWD/MID like Dusty or Swan. This wouldn’t normally be a choice at all but knowing GAJ is out in round 1 complicated matters. I stuck with my heart though and went with the always reliable GAJ. My thought pattern after this was once the top tier MID’s are off the table you can throw a blanket over the rest of them. The quality once the top tier goes in other positions are quite limited though. Especially in my opinion the Defenders this year. So that was my next target. Luke Parker has been ‘my boy’ for a few years so I couldn’t go through without him and Nic Nat was probably earlier than necessary but I wanted to lock in a ruck. This is part of my next issue. As it was 5pm here in WA I was in transit between work and home when I was drafting. Meaning I drafted via the Fantasy App. Honestly FanHub has built a great app for this but my only gripe was that you can’t see who everyone picks. Meaning if there was a run of rucks I wouldn’t know and would miss out. That was my only issue though, the app is incredibly user friendly and solid. (also I didn’t notice the chat box in the top corner till the last round!) Fairly happy with my team. I know a few aren’t playing round one but I made a conscious effort to focus on dpp’s to give me cover for that reason. Looking forward to seeing how this team travels against the other boys this year!

destROY – Roy

I am pretty happy with my team as I think we have a good mix of youth, experience and most importantly swine. In order to get the injection of pig into my team I was forced to use pick 3, but that is a bargain in my eyes. A poorly timed toilet break saw me pick up Lachie Neale ahead of schedule, but he was high on my sneaky radar anyway, so I am happy to have him on the park. My defenders are pretty weak, and I will need Harry Taylor to carry his NAB form into the season proper in order to gain some stability back there. Hopefully Jaeger O’meara is fit in round one because I grabbed him to replace Jobe Watson in the early rounds. My bench includes Ricky Petterd and shane Savage, both of which I was unaware are still on AFL lists.

Dunny’s Destroyers – Dunny

Overall I am happy with my draft.  Pendles at 4 might be a surprise to a few, but he is solid and pretty much set and forget.  I was surprised at how quickly the Defenders and Forwards got very ordinary and I think I got caught out there.  I did pick up Hodge and N Riewoldt with my second and third picks so was happy with them, but after that it got difficult.Jack Macrae, Ryan Griffen and Brad Ebert filled out my Mids which I was happy with, all consistent scorers capable of averaging 100.  My defence worries me a bit with A Walker and Harbrow but I am not unhappy with my forwards of JJK and Motlop, both can have great games.  I grabbed Goldstein in the ruck after a few started to go, I got him in r5 which is earlier than I wanted to get a ruck, but I wanted quality so jumped.  Stashing D Swallow and L Shuey on the bench was a bit of a win, I was surprised they were still there.  Taylor Walker with my last pick after Michael Johnson was a bit of a win too, I think he will lift his scoring as the Crows improve this year.

FeathertopDTT – Nic

The draft went reasonably well. The 60 second timer makes for some panicky moments but I kept with my strategy of taking two midfielders early and I think the rest worked out pretty well. I’m very happy with my midfield. Getting Barlow and Selwood early as reliable, elite midfielders is a big bonus and having Jack, Murphy and Hartlett filling out the rest of the spots is better than I hoped for. My forward line is pretty weak by comparison. LeCras and Bruest aren’t the highest scorers but they’ll probably be consistent. I took Chapman in one of those panicky moments so hopefully he plays the majority of games this year. Pavlich on the bench certainly helps. Malceski and Heath Shaw down back were good picks but I think taking Howe was one of my poorer decisions. Having Everitt on the bench isn’t the best cover either but at least he has dual position status. Overall I’m pretty happy, hopefully the midfielders carry me.

MJLICIOUS – MJ

The plan was simple, in round 1. Get the best forward for the season. Mission accomplished in Dusty at 6. Then getting Stevie J, GWS star Treloar and Ziebell in my following 3 selections I’ve set myself up for success. All should be top 10 selections (or mighty close) for their respective lines. I don’t rate many backs high to draft them early so was happy to leave them later and collect the likes of Gibbs, Crouch, Daisy and even deepens my bench with Shiel while others got defenders and scampered for respectable second forwards. Lumumba, Gibson, McKenzie & Murphy might not scream out a threatening backline but they’ll deliver me 70-80 each week which was all I need. Stealing NDS and running just One ruck means I could get a gun back if some DPP fortune goes goes my way. If it does look out!

Dove Love – Crutton

I only have one thing to say…. The grass is always TOBY GREENER!! My boy some how slipped past Warnie, Roy and Dunny and got all the way through to me at pick 7! Steal of the draft without any doubt! I then managed to snag me some Roughead to headline my forward line at pick18, then took Fyfe with pick 31 and Zorko with pick 42. Then came what would be my biggest bargain behind TOBY at pick 7. Trent Cotchin at pick 55! Very happy to see the Richmond captain still sitting there at this stage! I have taken a punt on Adcock up his average on last year to help my backs, and I am hoping Ollie Wines really does break right out this year. Signs are all pointing there, so confidence is high that Toby (My boy) will lead Dove Love to GREENER pastures by seasons end.

Calvinator – Calvin

My plan was simple. Hit the forwards hard early and I did. I was stoked with my selections of Bartel and Buddy. From there I knew I’d have many options in my midfield and I wasn’t disappointed. Redden, Prestia, Mundy and Hannas are all jets who are destined for a massive year. Sandilands in the ruck is pretty average big guy but he will average 85-90 and making him a top 5 ruckman easy. My biggest issue will be… who out of my gun bench players do I switch onto the field. Seriously, It will give me a bloody headache. Basically by the end of the night, I clearly have the best team on paper. I know this because already I have had the other 11 coaches begging me for trades, for player they had missed. Back luck fellas, suffer in ya jocks.

Scissor Me TImbers – Rumballz

Going into the draft, my biggest problem was drafting after that sneaky pirate. I swear, great minds think alike. Having pick 9, I focused on strengthening my forward line, with some (hopefully) stability. Midfielders are a dime a dozen, so I’m happy with my picks there. I’ve taken a punt on Sheppard and Geary taking a big leap this year.

The Running Man – Jimbob

So my strategy going in was to make the Midfielder a priority, as I felt there was value in both the forward and back line that I could pick up later. Am happy with Sidebottom, Ward, Ellis and Dangerfield ( a bargain at pick 83!). Always like to get a DPP ruck for flexibility so took Ryder to also cover the forward line. With my backs and forwards I am relying on the 3rd/4th year breakout rule coming good to be competitive. grabbed a DPP fwd and def to add some flexibility to the team. Happy with my team as a first up go, Recommend drafting on dual monitors as you can keep an eye on the draft while searching for info on the other screen.

Ballers XVIII – Matt

Drafting at number 11 gave me an opportunity to get an early look at the other coaches strategies. It was clear the top forwards wouldn’t last. Thanks to an hour of pre-draft research, it became obvious that there wasn’t much depth in defence, so that was my top priority. I was originally going to pick both Hodge and Simpson with my first double pick (close enough), however Beams was too good to give up. Getting a ruckman who averaged 112 at pick 35 couldn’t have worked out better. Tying him up with Leuenberger on my bench should mean my rucks are set. The rest of my picks were about finding potential, forwards first since they were becoming scarce. Overall I’m stoked with my side, although I have taken a risk on Higgins! Reports are he’s flying. Just a note: I managed to grab Swallow, Gibson, Tyson and Gaff with my last 3 starter picks and a bench slot. 4 blokes who can average 95+, there’s plenty of depth in midfield!

Griffs Fury – Griff

Going into the draft knowing I would have back to back picks made it very easy. Pick the best available in positions where the scores vary the most from premium to mid-range, and then pick for needs. This was going well for me, with Josh Kennedy (Syd), Dyson Heppell, Brett Deledio and Shane Mumford in the first four rounds. Despite defenders disappearing quickly through the mid rounds I ignored them. My thoughts were that the best defenders score 90 at the most, and the average ones score 75, only a 15 point differential at most. Locking in Boyd (who may become defender eligible) and Westhoff ahead of the likes of Heath Shaw and Taylor Adams could pay off through the season. My only side thought; make sure you don’t fall asleep at the wheel. An auto-selection of Tom Liberatore may be okay in round 13 (quickly replaced by Matt Rosa), but it isn’t ideal.

Discuss the draft in the comments. Let us know who were the best and worst coaches on the night with their drafting. What strategy will you be going in with when it comes to your draft day?

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